The Playwright
History
Gregg Garner has more than just a knack for storytelling. He has a gift. After surviving the accident in 2011, Gregg turned his creative efforts towards the theater. In his playwriting and directorial debut, Gregg produced a group of one-act plays in 2013. His work was recognized locally for the expert storytelling and thoughtful content. Gregg wrote and produced five different one-act plays that year including, What Matters, In the Dark, It's Elementary, and more.
Ready to take on the next challenge, Gregg began writing his first musical. His musical background and years spent on tour with his band UnNamed Servant undoubtedly played a vital role in its success. However, it was his ability to tell a story that was on full display. ALIEN: The Musical played before sold-out theaters before being performed at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC) and then again at Vanderbilt for the Chancellor's Lecture Series.
In 2016, after Alien The Musical's success, Gregg produced his second 3-act play titled "Mental." The Tennessee Arts Commission funded this two-week production at the end of 2016 that received glowing reviews for handling complex issues regarding human tragedy and mental health. Less than four months later, Gregg Garner and the Center Street Theater Company debuted Gregg's second full-length musical titled "Breathe."
His most recent work title Homeless was released and performed in 2017 and embodied Gregg's style as a multi-sensory writer. Drawing inspiration from his life in ministry, time on tour as a musician, his own family and childhood, Gregg's plays communicate on a level that relates to nearly anyone who watches them.
As a playwright, Gregg Garner has made it very clear that theater is a powerful tool. When wielded with precision, it can cut the curtains that veil our eyes and prevent us from seeing the injustices in our world. For this reason, his plays will always tackle some of our society's most complex issues. Even the issues that we are often too afraid to tackle head-on.
What Matters | 1 Act
Gus McCale is an award winning journalist, recognized for his integrity in addressing the difficult matters of society. On tonights show, his friend and author Patty, is coming to talk about her book, "Guns Are Not Pencils." A conservative columnist and liberal talk show host divvy out their rehearsed opinions when something out of the ordinary takes place and everyone has to respond to the matter.
Anonymous | 1 Act
“Anonymous”, written and directed by Gregg Garner, is a drama with emotive dialogue that challenges viewers to explore new possibilities in our lives as adults, even with so-called baggage. In “Anonymous”, strangers in a support group reluctantly stumble into conversations about each character’s identity. Through the witness of such raw, potent material, the play illuminates questions of what defines people, what is or should be the human response to loss, and the potential to recover from mistakes.
Alien: The Musical
ALIEN: The Musical explores the historical amnesia related to American immigration, highlighting the political and social realities related to emigration through themes of class struggle, race, and power. Gregg Garner authored and produced ALIEN: The Musical, which premiered in December of 2014 at The Arts at Center Street, followed by performances in Ohio, at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center in Nashville, TN, and at Vanderbilt University as a part of the Chancellor’s Lecture Series in the Spring of 2016.
In The Dark | 1 Act
Set in the 80's, Janet has invited her former co-worker Martin, a high class executive, to a dinner party where she has plans to impress him with where her life is now. Her sister-in-law, Madge, has also invited her friend Lisa, in hopes of making a love connection, neither her or Janet knowing that Lisa is Martin's overworked secretary. Plans are disrupted when some 'power issues' emerge and the 'Light Guy' is called in to fix the problem. Problems and personalities come out in the dark and everyone comes to see, there's more than a 'power issue' to be resolved.
Real Meaningful | 1 Act
Real Meaningful is an original one act play written and directed by Gregg Garner. An entertaining and thought-provoking piece, “Real Meaningful” awakens the audience to consider the conflicting values of pleasure and significance. In this act, “Waffle Hotel,” a casual diner, provides the setting for comedic dialogue addressing issues of racism, ignorance, sexuality and responsibility. “Real Meaningful” both entertains its audience, and extends the invitation to evaluate one’s ethical standpoints.
Mental | 3 Act
MENTAL examines, through the lens of one family’s dynamics, the functional dysfunctionality of the human experience, and the ways in which people choose to navigate life’s turbulence. This original work was written and produced by Gregg Garner first in 2016 at The Arts at Center Street, and returned in the Fall of 2017.
It's Elementary | 1 Act
Set in a coffee shop in southwest Nashville, the organically planted, intentional community, called "It's Elementary" shares their approach to dealing with real world, global issues. This representative group of the progressive, young intelligentsia, show how their relevant response to these problems is setting people free and giving them a way to deal with a problematic world.
Breathe: A New Musical
BREATHE, A New Musical follows the story of a brilliant physician on a mission to save his daughter’s life. Caught in the tension of negotiating the rules set by the administrative powers and his own determination to do what it takes to preserve life, Dr. Walker is faced with decisions that will alter the course of his future. Written and produced by Gregg Garner, BREATHE is an original work, which premiered at The Arts at Center Street in March of 2017, and played again in November 2017.
Homeless | 3 Act
HOMELESS premiered at The Arts at Center Street in June 2017, an original work by Gregg Garner. Funded by the Tennessee Arts Commission, this play was described by one reviewer as “deliciously disorienting.” The main character, Nod, is a deeply philosophical individual who began his early adult life as a promising young writer, but over time became fragmented by injuries sustained throughout his developmental years. The show gently and powerfully explores the theme of homelessness, leaving viewers with much to consider and discuss.